Alfonso Boone and Ogemdi Nwagbuo, playing nose tackle, a position once considered the cornerstone of the Chargers defense, took turns going backward last Sunday in Pittsburgh.

At times they were no match for a double team. Other times they were simply pushed aside like a blocking sled.

From there, the epicenter, chaos ensued, only without the cool energetic vibe.

A guy would go inside when he should have stayed outside. A guy would be too deep. A guy would rush recklessly. Two guys would go to the same place. A guy would try for the big play instead of just making a play.

“We didn't do what we were supposed to do a lot of times,” Quentin Jammer said after that game, sounding a troubling refrain heard all over the locker room, one the Chargers thought they had left behind after a spring and summer of learning the defense and learning each other.

Whatever is happening — and it's hardly been a defense at times — it is not what was promised.

They said they would attack. They said they had gained a new trust for the play calls and the players.

What the fans have been treated to instead — and, really, it's the Chargers' four opponents who have had the treat — is a unit that continues to regress.

Ranked 25th at the end of 2008, the Chargers defense is 24th after a quarter of the 2009 season.

But even before getting embarrassed in Pittsburgh, there was, at best, troubling inconsistency.

Unable to stop the pass in '08 (ranked 31st), the defense can't stop the run in '09 (ranked 28th). As for getting to the quarterback with any regularity, well, the memory of such a thing grows faint.

“I expected us to play better,” coordinator Ron Rivera said this week. “We know we can play better. We know we have to play up to our abilities. . . . We have to continue to work and come together and jell as a unit. With the changes we've gone through, we're not quite where we want to be in terms of the communication between the players and getting used to it. It's just a matter of time.”

While the defensive line was but a sliver of the issue last Sunday, there was no denying as you watched Boone and Nwagbuo get pushed off the line of scrimmage that Jamal Williams left a valley in the middle of the defensive front.

With Ryon Bingham going on injured reserve with a torn biceps before Williams followed with a torn triceps, and Travis Johnson injuring his groin in the season opener, the Chargers are relying on a castoff from the Kansas City Chiefs and a kid who in all fairness should be ripening on the practice squad.

And then there is outside linebacker Shawne Merriman's absence for about 90 percent of the team's defensive plays over the past two games. Working his way back from major knee surgery, Merriman strained his groin in the season's second game and has played only a handful of snaps since.

Lacking his usual burst, strength and mobility, Merriman as a shadow of himself leaves the Chargers without a player offenses scheme around. Sure, the Steelers were wary enough of Merriman when he was in the game, but he did not change the flow of plays as he used to and someday soon might again.

The effect of injuries cannot be denied. And Rivera doesn't refute the challenge.

But he also is demanding that those who remain simply have to suck it up, which mostly means just play the way they're supposed to play.

“You line up with guys,” Rivera said. “If a young guy has to play, a young guy has to play. That's no reason for other guys to not play well or to do more than they need to. That's the important thing. It doesn't matter who's on the field, you have to play as a group.”

Rivera spent a good portion of time this week emphasizing that to players, first in a meeting Tuesday in which broken plays were pointed out and offending players were called out. Then, accountability and discipline were the focus of two practices that Rivera was excited about before players and coaches took off for the bye weekend.

“I don't know if it's a negative as much as guys trying to play hard and doing more than they need to,” Rivera said. “What came out of the meeting Tuesday is guys understand how important it is to play within the scheme, to play disciplined, to do the things you need to do first.”

Said end Luis Castillo: “There's a fine line between trying to do too much and being out of position and doing your job and then doing that extra little bit. Do your job first and then give that extra little bit.”

Rivera repeated again and again how pleased he was with the progress made during the bye week. The Chargers have an extra day this coming week before getting back on the field next Monday night against the division-leading Denver Broncos.

While Rivera remains committed to a 3-4 base defense, he will continue to mix and match players and looks to correspond to his personnel.

“You do tend to do certain things with certain players,” he said. “We're adjusting and working to get together in terms of what we do best. . . . I'm very pleased with what happened (Wednesday and Thursday). The guys took a big step. Sunday night was hard on them, Tuesday was hard on them. They bounced back.

“The guys are working to develop that cohesiveness we need as a group. . . . What we've gone through these four games, we are a work in progress.”

Hopefully at the end of the year they scrap this ****** scheme and let rivera run HIS defense, and get some better 4-3 personal in here.

Move Merriman (if hes still here) and English down to the line, move Castillo back inside, get a real NT to partner with castillo, get some good back up DEs and we are set to return to the 4-3! (or even a 46, but i doubt that since we dont have a great SS)

Hopefully at the end of the year they scrap this ****** scheme and let rivera run HIS defense, and get some better 4-3 personal in here.

Move Merriman (if hes still here) and English down to the line, move Castillo back inside, get a real NT to partner with castillo, get some good back up DEs and we are set to return to the 4-3! (or even a 46, but i doubt that since we dont have a great SS)

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Its not a ****** scheme if our key guys are healthy and we dont have guys like Cro sucking. Denver is doing well with it in their first season. Its a good scheme and always has been, we are just sucking and need some better players.

Its not a ****** scheme if our key guys are healthy and we dont have guys like Cro sucking. Denver is doing well with it in their first season. Its a good scheme and always has been, we are just sucking and need some better players.

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Its only a great scheme if you have 2 things, a great NT, and a great 3-4 defensive coordinator, we have neither at this point

Rivera is a great coach, but hes just not a 3-4 coach. Hes played and coached in the 4-3 his whole life, why force him to run the 3-4 now? The broncos hired a guy whose made a living running the 3-4, and thats showing up by their defensive performance so far this year. Now sure they dont have a great NT, but at the same time, they dont exactly have an undrafted 2nd year "rookie" starting there

I think if we want to stick with the 3-4, we need to either fire Rivera (or promote him to HC, but i dont see that as a real option) and bring in a great DC, like maybe bring back Wade Phillips when he gets canned at the end of the year. No way we should stick with the 3-4 next year if Rivera is the DC

Its only a great scheme if you have 2 things, a great NT, and a great 3-4 defensive coordinator, we have neither at this point

Rivera is a great coach, but hes just not a 3-4 coach. Hes played and coached in the 4-3 his whole life, why force him to run the 3-4 now? The broncos hired a guy whose made a living running the 3-4, and thats showing up by their defensive performance so far this year. Now sure they dont have a great NT, but at the same time, they dont exactly have an undrafted 2nd year "rookie" starting there

I think if we want to stick with the 3-4, we need to either fire Rivera (or promote him to HC, but i dont see that as a real option) and bring in a great DC, like maybe bring back Wade Phillips when he gets canned at the end of the year. No way we should stick with the 3-4 next year if Rivera is the DC

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I agree...except for the promote Rivera to HC. I dont want him for our HC.